mcgouran

Hi there, We've changed our plans and want to rent an apartment in Paris for our 6 day stay - we means myself and 3 children (11, 14 &16) we have been offered want seems to be a nice 1 bdr.bar.rtment for 600 Euros for 6 nights which is great! the problem is I don't know Paris at all and wonder what the area around the apartment is like and how suitable it is for a family - THE ADDRESS IS RUE LACEPEDE, 5TH DISTRICT - any comments/help on the location would be very appreciated! cheers, Annie

TimS

Rue la Cepede is a street in the Latin Quarter just west of a large botanical garden, Jardin des Plantes. The closest metro station appears to be Place Monge which is on Line 7. The Latin Quarter is so named because historically it was the university district and the center of learning in Paris. This is a central area from which you can easily walk to many important sites. To see the area on a map, go to www.viamichelin.com and enter rue la Cepede, Paris, and France in the fields under the heading Maps. Use the zoom feature to change the detail of what you see.

wliwl

That seems very cheap. You maybe should inquire as to the actual square footage. For 5 people (?) you might be disappointed in its size!

worldinabag

Hi

If you know the street (er Rue) number you can use this excellent resource - http://photos.pagesjaunes.fr. It will have a photo of the building and lets you do a visual walk of the street and anywhere else in central Paris for that matter.

Christina

That is spelled as one word, Lacepede--it's the name of a French historical figure. I really like that area a lot, I think it's a great location. That street isn't that scenic, but nothing wrong with it. It is kind of steep at the end just off place Contrescarpe. It would be a really good area for a family, also, and your teens will enjoy it as there are a lot of young people around. They gather around place Contrescarpe, but there is a branch of Paris university not far, also, which is probably another reason. I don't think that is excessively cheap for a one bedroom apt. in that area. I had one just a couple blocks around for just a little more, but I do agree it will not be large. That is probably going to be very crowded for five people, especially since the children are not that young. Five people in a small one bedroom apt. is going to be very cozy, but the location is good.

francophile03

It is a nice location being close to rue Mouffetard and the Pantheon area also.

mcgouran

Hi folks,
Thanks for the good advice on that area. There's actually on 4 of us travelling - mum (me) and my 3 girls, should be fun! More questions on that area - food stores? cafes? family restaurants? any outdoor markets (my girls love to shop!) as always, any help is greatly appreciated! Last question is about a transit travel pass - is it necessary or can we walk to most things - we are trying to hit all the main attractions in Paris and also fit in a trip to Giverny and Versailles - thanks in advance for your great help!
cheers,
Annie

Mimar

The aforementioned Rue Mouffetard has a street market most days. There are also a lot of nice little restaurants in this area and around the Place de la Contrescarpe.

cabovacation

A perfectly wonderful area for kids!

TimS

The best transit pass is the weekly Carte Orange, good Monday-Sunday (not any seven day period). It requires a photo, passport-sized or smaller. A pass for zones 1-2 cost E16. However, since you'll be away from Paris nearly a whole day when you go to Giverny and at least half a day when you go to Versailles, you would need to take a lot of rides on other days for it to pay for itself. There is no reduced rate for children.

The Ticket Jeunes is for youth under 26 and is good for Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. A pass for zones 1-3 costs E3.20.

A regular carnet of ten single tickets good on the Metro and RER within zones 1-2 and on buses costs E10.90. Each ticket gives unlimited transfers on the Metro and/or RER so long as you don't exit the system. Changing buses requires a new ticket. Your youngest daughter can buy a half-price carnet.

Since you intend to walk a lot, your best plan might be to buy Ticket Jeunes for your daughters, half-price carnets for your youngest daughter as needed, and regular carnets for your older daughters and you to share as needed.

TimS

A clarification to my previous post. One Ticket Jeunes is good for Saturday-Sunday together. My original wording could mislead you into thinking each of your daughters would need two passes for the weekend rather than one.

TimS

Now I have to take back what I just wrote. If I'm translating the French correctly, each Ticket Jeunes is good for one day only so your daughters would need separate ones for Saturday and Sunday. Still a great bargain. And I'll stop now before I put my foot any further into my mouth.

Christina

The Ticket Jeunes are just like Mobilis tickets, only a special reduced fare by age. They even look exactly like Mobilis tickets. So, they are good for unlimited travel within the zones bought for one day. They are not date-encoded so can be bought in advance, but are marked when first used. Because they are just like Mobilis, you need one per day. They also have the limitation of Mobilis tickets in that they can't be used for airports.

chevre

I agree that the apartment will likely be very, very tight. Also keep in mind that the water heater will probably only be large enough to accomodate 2 10 minute showers. Just some thoughts, especially traveling with teen age girls. It is a great price, but size would be an issue for me.

nancy1652

We stayed in an apartment on Rue Lacepede five years ago and it's a great location. Don't miss the vegetarian restaurant down the street towards the Jardin des Plantes. Marvelous pasta. There is a flea market at the Place Monge metro once a week. Wonderful bakeries and good cafes on the street as well. You'll enjoy this area very much and have no problem getting wherever you want to go from here.